The showerhead of this invention is generally of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,811 issued to Speakman Company, the assignee of this application. Other Speakman patents related to such showerheads include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,013,729; 3,005,917; 3,373,942; 3,383,059, 4,117,979 and 6,378,790. Speakman Company is a leader in the field of adjustable spray pattern showerheads sold under the ANYSTREAM® trademark. The adjustable spray pattern pioneered by Speakman is based upon axial movement of plungers within openings in a showerhead faceplate as explained in greater detail in the specifications of above-listed patents.
That movement of the plungers in existing ANYSTREAM showerheads is controlled by rotation of a handle laterally extending from the body of the showerhead. That handle is rotated by the user to change spray patterns emanating from the showerhead faceplate. Rotation of the handle is translated into vertical (axial) movement of the plungers within the faceplate using an off-center pin received in a slot formed in a plunger holder. With this arrangement, a small rotation of the handle is translated into axial movement of the plungers within the showerhead faceplate. That movement opens grooves of differing dimensions around the periphery of the plungers or openings in the faceplate to adjust flow of water from the showerhead. Those dimensional differences account for the variability in spray patterns and volume of flow achievable in the Speakman ANYSTREAM® showerhead.
While the use of a handle on the side of a showerhead to adjust spray patterns has met with tremendous commercial success and consumer acceptance over many decades, a need has arisen for more ergonomic and robust means for adjusting those spray patterns.
Means are thus desired that facilitate adjustment by a bather that has his/her eyes closed and is literally “feeling in the dark” to, first, find the showerhead and, second, to adjust the spray pattern emanating therefrom. Applicant has found that bathers generally, even with their eyes shut, can locate a showerhead faceplate by just tracing the water flow pattern to its origin as it exits the showerhead. This location for adjusting a showerhead spray pattern also obviates those situations where bathers have difficulty in locating a handle on the side of a showerhead, especially when the showerhead face (closest to the bather) is wide. These wider showerheads force a user to reach up and around the wide face of the showerhead to reach a handle. Accordingly, a control surface near the front of a showerhead has ergonomic advantages.
This arrangement also has aesthetic advantages over showerheads with side handles because the spray adjustment means can be incorporated into the shell of the showerhead rather than extending laterally therefrom.
In addition, it has been found that most showerheads that have a rotating control surface near the front of the showerhead have stops that prevent full 360° rotation of the surface. In non-domestic installations such as hospitals, fitness centers and the like attempts to force the control surface to rotate beyond its designed degree of rotation disabled the spray adjustment feature of the showerhead. This has created customer dissatisfaction with such showerheads having less than 360° rotation of the control surface.
Showerheads manufactured and sold by other than Speakman Company have also been found wanting because control surfaces adjacent the front of the showerhead were not linked to plungers movable within openings in the faceplate. That movement provides variable spray patterns so important to consumer acceptance of showerheads.